Museum Studies Curriculum 2015-2016
This year long coursework has been created in order to form a collaborative relationship
with the Chelsea Historical Society in Chelsea, Vermont with this class. All projects for
Museum Studies are to build skills in the areas of exhibition strategies and will
culminate in an Exhibition of Chelsea, Vermont through its legacy.
Title of Exhibition:
Chelsea, Vermont: Legacy and Landmark
Creating, Recreating and Connecting the Past with the present
A Chelsea Teen Museum Education Program
T-Shirt Vision: Exhibiting Chelsea- Past, Present, Future
Mission: To promote curiosity and interest in the story of Chelsea, Vermont through a
comprehensive and participatory dialogue between Chelsea Teens and their community.
Abstract or Project Overview:
The mission of this project is to promote curiosity and interest in the story of
Chelsea, Vermont through a comprehensive and participatory dialogue between Chelsea
School teens and their community. The goal of this mission is to create a partnership
between the Chelsea Historical Society in Chelsea, Vermont and the Chelsea School
teens. The objective is an exhibition about the story of Chelsea created by the Chelsea
School teens at the end of the school year 2016. The methods used to prepare for this
exhibition will be exhibition strategies on behalf of the Chelsea Historical Society, the
Barre Historical Society, the Chelsea community members, and myself. Chelsea teens
will be taught collective management skills and learn curatorial methods and work with
the Chelsea Historians and myself to prepare for and create an exhibition during the
2015-2016 school year. A May 2016 exhibition is planned and will have several
interactive components including but not limited to presentations on farming, the Chelsea
community through the years, education, jobs and roles of Chelsea community members,
and celebratory events. Curated walks through the historical town and in the gallery
spaces by Chelsea teens will create meaningful community engagement. This project will
be evaluated on its success, Chelsea teen participation, and the interest of the
communities.
Audience:
The intended audience is local residents of Chelsea, Vermont, all students in the
community, and people who have connections to the community of Chelsea in unique
and diverse ways.
Role of students:
Students in this class have been given the role of stewards to the future of Chelsea,
Vermont’s stories, unique voice, works, and objects that have been shared and preserved
within the wall of the Chelsea Historical Society as well as in Chelsea Community hands.
As part of their stewardship, students will also be curators, collection management
colleagues, and data management colleagues during this year of Museum Studies. All
students will be members of the Chelsea Historical Society for one year.
Class participation and Conduct:
As a class, participation, respect and honor for people in our community, the
Chelsea Historical Society, and the works that we will be managing, digitally preserving,
and writing about is our highest priority.
Chelsea Teens Self-evaluations graded for class p artication
Routine Class
discussions
Biweekly Self
evaluations
Chelsea teens as
active
participants
Chelsea teens
have input in
the process
Raise awareness
of their
community
Intellectually
stimulates and
motivates
Progress Evaluations presented to the Chelsea Historical Society
Chelsea teen and myself
present timeframe itinerary,
processes and input
Monthly meeting at the
Chelsea Historical Society
Develop programs
colaboratively and
intellectually stimulates CCs
Builds a working relationship
that fosters respect and
honor for project
Checks and balances the
processes and not just the end
product
Visitor and Audience Evaluations presented in the Chelsea Exhibition
Visitors and Audiences
Evaluations
to understand if our
visitors are learning from
our exhibits
Active Participant Boards
Ask visitors to leave a
response, an idea,
or personal
interpretations of exhibits
to learn what visitors and
audiences feel or think
about the historical
Chelsea community
To learn how visitors and
audiences want to sustain
the Chelsea community or
ideas to improve the
living quality
Personal Connections
Video Interview booths
To learn more about
Chelsea through the
stories from audiences
that will give a deeper
understanding of the
essense of community
Logic Model
Inputs
What we invest
Chelsea Exhibition Project
Time in class to
learn about
exhibition strategies
Partnership with
Chelsea Historical
Society
Recording/video
equipment
Meeting community
members
Outputs
What we do
Short
Outcomes
Meet 5x a week in
class
Motivated to organize Learn about
time and work
the historical
collaboratively
Chelsea
community
Gain skills in
communicationMake
interviews, stories,
decisions
about
Gain an interest in
Exhibition
the historical
subjects and
Chelsea community
themes
Meet Chelsea
historians and
community
members
Interview, discuss
and interpret
stories, write, edit,
and design exhibit
Participation in
exhibition design
Make efforts to
converse, actively
listen, and use
social etiquette
Have knowledge of
community members
and recognize their
achievements, their
roles in the
community, and learn
from them
Medium
Outcomes
Become
curious to
learn more
and gain a
deeper
understandin
g of Chelsea
past, present,
and future
Long Term
Outcomes
Active in
Chelsea
community
decision
making
about
sustainability
and
preservation
Chelsea teens
as active
community
members
Chelsea teens
as active
learners and
motivated to
learn
Timeline:
May 2015
Talk to Wendy Forbes of the Chelsea Historical Society and talk about
the project plan. Discuss plan for marketing, budgeting and evaluating
exhibition
June 2015
Present project at the monthly Chelsea Historical Society meeting and
get approval. Answer any questions and get an idea of which community
members to approach for help with the exhibition strategies
July-August
Begin writing class syllabus with project as large component of
2015
learning, grading and time factor. Meet with Chelsea Historical Society
to talk about potential research areas, marketing, budgeting, and
potential evaluation ideas
September –
Chelsea teens research the Chelsea historic archives for interesting
November
stories and significant events. Interviews are set up and commenced
2015 *
between Chelsea teens and Chelsea community members
September 17- Chelsea teens participate in the Tunbridge Fair on hosting a booth to
20, 2015
accession loaned works and objects from the historical Chelsea
community
SeptemberA fieldtrip to the Barre Historical Society to gather information and
October
documentation of historical Chelsea will take place in late September or
2015
October.
November
2015 *
December
2015- March
2016
April 2016
May 2016
CCs will meet and revise plan and Timeline on the criteria and standards
for information and collections in the exhibition.
Chelsea teens begin interviewing community members, creating and
designing exhibitions
Chelsea teens will create and prepare plans for curated walking tours
around the historical Chelsea. All fieldwork, trail cutting and marking of
walking tours will be done and defined.
Chelsea teens will interview on The30:WCAX television show to talk
about project and invite visitors.
The Chelsea Exhibit will take place (TBA).
*The Chelsea Historical Society closes after the second week of November until March
each year.
Ideas for exhibitions:
 A person, a place, an object -Calendar competition
 A Chelsea Talks Video Series- interviews, recordings of stories
 Chelsea Cooks- family heritage recipes to be made into a cookbook
 Ernest Kennedy’s book on family in Chelsea from 1929-1999 made available
 A Chelsea Fiddler’s Contest-this would be in conjunction to an exhibition on
the poster designs and objects from the printing shop in Chelsea- (years of
circa?)
 Curated Walks around historic Chelsea- led by students or community
members
 Active Participant Boards for visitors to leave responses, questions or ideas,
or personal interpretations of exhibits
 Personal Connections Video capturing
Possible exhibits:
 Two state governors from Chelsea, VT- reenactments of inaugural addresses
 Chelsea Women’s Club- Clubs, Historical events ( newspaper articles)
 The Underground Railroad- Thetford, to Chelsea, to Montpelier (mid 1800’s)
 The family and the Farm- interviews, stories, objects
 Living in Chelsea, Vermont- home, objects used, loved, and preserved
 Hunting, Fishing, Gardening, and raising animals throughout the decades
 The Seasons of the year in Chelsea, Vermont
Marketing Plan:
June 2015-August 2015
September 17th-20th 2015
World’s Famous
Tunbridge Fair
Tunbridge, Vermont
September 2015-November
2015
November 2015- Last Chelsea
Historical Society meeting
until March 2016
December 2015-April 2016
Monthly meeting at the
Chelsea Historical Society
May 2016, date TBA
The30:WCAX television
show about local interest and
community events
Meet with Chelsea Historical Society members at monthly
meetings to discuss advertising, budget, and timeframes.
Booth set up at the Tunbridge Fair to advertise project and solicit
community members for interviews and loaning of objects that
pertain to the historical community of Chelsea, Vermont
Chelsea teens interview in the local newspapers about their
Chelsea Exhibition project.
CCs will meet and discuss plan and Timeline on the criteria and
standards for information and collections in the exhibition.
Chelsea teens continue to work of project, bi-weekly graded selfevaluations, monthly progress evaluations given at the Chelsea
Historical Society meetings.
Chelsea teens interview on The30:WTCX television show about
Exhibition and invite all communities to visit the Exhibition.
Date of Exhibition TBA
Museum Exhibition Manual 2015-2016
In his book entitled, Curatorship in the Exhibition Planning Process, John Nicks states:
A powerful and meaningful exhibition starts with a powerful and
meaningful idea, but the effectiveness of its realization depends in
large measures on the quality of the curatorial research that develops
and supports the thesis and the collections and other materials that
comprise the exhibition (p. 346).
What this means is that the central idea of what the exhibition is going to be about
has to also match the story that is going to be told. The objects that are chosen for
exhibition develop the story that is being told to make the central idea meaningful.
There are two types of research that go on simultaneously and lead to the creation
of exhibition ideas. Exhibitions are developed from these ideas. A well thought out
exhibition needs both approaches and not just one. Coming up with a theme for an
exhibition will help us make decisions on what specific objects are chosen and how
their story is told.
Introduction:Making Meaning: Turner Presentation- exhibition is built around
one object and the context, stories, and research pertained to the one object.
Unit 1: Exploring the Story
Enduring Understanding: Stories are meaningful ways people communicate and
connect to each other.
Essential Knowledge:
 Interpretative strategies are needed to help people connect to objects and
information in an exhibit.
 Objects are only half of the learning process, the other half is the visitor who
creates personal meaning starting with what they already know about the
world around them.
 Visitors make their own meaning.
Unit 2: Thematic and Curatorial Research
Enduring Understanding: The focus of interpreting objects in an exhibition
requires research that is essential for have a clear vision of the theme and and
subthemes.
Essential Knowledge:
 ‘thematic’ research develops the story and framework of what the exhibition
is going to be about.
 ‘object’ research finds relevant information on the works in ways that builds
the exhibition idea and makes direct connections to the theme of the
exhibition.
 Objects are the core of what makes a theme or idea of an exhibition work.
 ‘outstanding’ objects or artefacts that are associated with a historical event, a
person, or a relevant point for the theme are preferred.
Unit 3: Developing Museum Exhibitions
Enduring Understanding: Exhibition design incorporates utilizing new
perspectives, interpretations, and information that engage the way audiences
internalize and create meaning from objects, ideas, and topics.
Essential Knowledge:
 Exhibitions show a new perspective or insight on an object, an idea, or a
topic.
 Exhibitions present new information and different interpretations on objects
and stories.
 Exhibitions present existing information about objects in surprising or
provocative ways.
 Exhibitions include visitor voices and invites interpretations, emotional
responses and/or memories in constructive and creative ways.
 Exhibitions include different uses of media, materials and design elements
that are inviting and engaging.
 Exhibitions are sights of great beauty and create engaging ways for audiences
to create meaning and relevance.
Unit 4: Engaging Audiences
Enduring Understanding: Audiences go to exhibitions with their own knowledge
and interpretations of what they are going to learn.
Essential Knowledge:
 The physical space is created for visitor comfort and ability to move around
at their leisure with areas to sit down.
 Audiences feel safe and can interpret the objects and the exhibition on their
own.
 The exhibition allows for audiences to respond, think about, interpret
through different media and engage with the stories of objects.
 There is a clear message about the theme and subject matter of the exhibits.
 Audience members can create identity and reaffirm their sense of self
through the exhibition.
Unit 5: Evaluating and Assessing
Enduring Understanding: Evaluating the processes of creating an exhibition and
assessing how visitors interpreted the exhibits and learned from them is valuable
information for the future of exhibition design.
Essential Knowledge:





What are good evaluative questions?
Who is responsible for collecting the answers?
How do we assess audiences?
When do we assess audiences?
What can we learn about the information we gather?